Never before has a Central Michigan Pro Day come with this much intrigue.

A lot of that has to do with a certain 6-foot-8 and 304-pound left tackle in Eric Fisher who is projected in most circles as a top-10 pick in next month’s NFL Draft.

So to say that Monday morning’s CMU Pro Day was a bit of a zoo in terms of everyone wanting a glimpse of Fisher is entirely accurate. The highest a Chippewas player has ever been taken in the NFL Draft is current San Francisco 49ers left tackle Joe Staley (28th overall in 2007), so when mock drafts have Fisher going as high as No. 1 overall it brings a little bit of extra pizazz to the normal Pro Day proceedings in Mt. Pleasant.

While Fisher was only there to do offensive line drills and nothing else as the NFL Combine last month cemented his status as a high draft choice, the day still brought representatives from 26 NFL teams along with one Canadian Football League team (Montreal) to the festivities.

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In addition to the NFL scouts there for Fisher and his teammates, Staley was in attendance to show his support as was former CMU standout and current Green Bay Packers linebacker Frank Zombo.

The left tackle known as ‘Big Fish’ was certainly the centerpiece of attention during his portion of the workout which included basic offensive line blocking and footwork drills run by New York Giants scout Steve Devine.

“I was happy with my NFL Combine results, so I stuck with O-line drills today,” said Fisher. “I thought they went very well. Just a quick 15 or 20-minute workout and then I did a little more work here meeting with some teams. It was a good day.”

Fisher, who came to Central Michigan a shade over 240 pounds as a tight end out of Stoney Creek High School, gained 40 pounds his first year at Central Michigan in his transition to offensive line. He quickly showed the promise that eventually elevated him to today’s status, but he has kept his focus streamlined throughout this whole process despite hearing from outsiders how his stock is rising.

“Yeah, I guess I’ve been known to be an under the radar player these last four years,”Fisher said. “Coming out of a MAC school and not having the national exposure the SEC, the ACC, and PAC-12 all have I’ve been under the radar for quite some time. And to be honest, I like being under the radar. Just quietly rising up and it’s been my mission to get as high as possible. So we’ll see what happens in April.”

Fisher does not pay attention to any mock drafts such as the recent one by NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks that had him going No. 1 overall to the Kansas City Chiefs, making the point that “coaches and general managers have the real draft so I don’t need to pay attention to anyone else.”

Along with weighing in at 304 pounds, Fisher was measured at a wingspan of 82 3/8 inches which is another major reason why NFL teams are so enamored with his potential.

He has exchanged plenty of texts with Staley throughout the process and having the former Chippewa there in support clearly meant a lot to Fisher.

“Him and Zombo being here was cool,” said Fisher.“I didn’t know (Zombo) was coming, but I knew Joe was coming and it’s always nice to have people in the building who have been there and done that. Joe just played in the Super Bowl and Frank has a Super Bowl ring. Hopefully I’ll be following in those footsteps.”

It’s no coincidence that Fisher has tailored his game in the same vein as Staley, who he has watched make a name for himself as an All-Pro left tackle with the Niners.

“He was a first rounder and played in the Super Bowl. I love watching film of him and seeing what he does to defeat all his defenders,” Fisher said.“I look up to the guy. He’s been there, done that. So I get in touch with him any time I need something and it’s good having him there today.”

Central Michigan head coach Dan Enos, who was in attendance for the duration, made the point that Fisher is only just getting started as offensive tackle since he has only been playing the position for four years.

“We saw glimpses of it a few years ago,” Enos said.“We saw a big, lean guy that could run. Our thing was that we said if he could ever get to 300 pounds and maintain it, he could become very good and go as high as he could possibly go. That’s been one thing he’s been great at this year. This is the first year where as he got to 300, 302, and 304 he’s maintained it pretty much the entire season. I’ve told this to pro people, I think his best days are yet to come. He didn’t redshirt. He played tight end in high school. So he hasn’t played tackle for all that long. I think that whoever gets him will not only get a great player, but someone who will continue to get better and better as the years go on.”

The benefits of having a player like Fisher go so high in the draft could be felt for years to come in recruiting and Enos is excited about those possibilities as the CMU program looked to turn the corner with its 7-6 record along with a win in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in 2012.

“Ithink when you look at us and you want to be an All-American, you can go to Central Michigan and be an All-American,” said Enos.“You can be a first round draft pick. Fisher will probably be the second one we’ve had here. If you want to come here and be a first round draft pick, you can do that. He gives validity to everything we talk about. If you want to go to the NFL and be a first round draft choice, you don’t have to go to a big-time program or an SEC school to do that. You can come to our school and do that. It’s not just us telling you that, we have people that have proved it. The big thing with Fisher is that he is obviously talented and has a lot of God-given ability, but our offensive line coach (Mike) Cummings did an outstanding job of developing him. One of the big things pro scouts talk to me about his how well-coached he is and our system that we run, how well that translates to the NFL. Those are all things we talk to young people about coming here.”

So where does Fisher see himself landing? Just like everyone else, he doesn’t really have a feel for that but that is also no matter to him.

“In the end it’s not up to me where I go,” Fisher said.“Obviously until April 25th I’m going to be working to go No. 1. I think that would great for our program. It would be great for me and my family obviously, but it’s great to represent my school and the Chippewas in this way.”

While the Detroit Lions could be in the market for an offensive tackle and it would keep Fisher in his home state, he doesn’t put the Lions on a pedestal above any other team that might draft him.

“Anyone who wants to give me an opportunity, I’m in,” added Fisher

“I’m going to go to that organization and do my best. It would be cool staying home, but also with staying home there comes a lot of stress because there are so many more people who know who you are and whatnot. Wherever I go, I’m going to enjoy playing football.”